Railway-frog



(No Model.)

A. H. EGE.

RAILWAY FROG.

No. 370,051. Patented Sept. 20, 1887.

Fries.

ATENT ALEXANDER H. EGE, OF MECHANICSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,051, datedSeptember 20, 1887.

Application filed June 14, 1887.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER H. EGE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Mechanicsburg, county of Cumberland, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway- Frogs, of which the following isa specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a frog that shall combinesimplicity and flexibility of structure with durability and efficiencyin the performance of its required functions, an end that I attain bythe use of clamping-bars, distance or filling blocks, side supports,wedges, and bolts, as hereinafter described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

In referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a plan view of my improvedfrog. Fig. 2 isa transverse section 011 line x x of Fig. 1, takenlongitudinally through the longest clamp. Fig. 3 is a section on line yy of Fig. 1, taken through the shorter clamp. Fig. 4 is a side view of aportion of the frog. Fig. 5 is a side View showing a modification.

A A are the outer curved or wing rails of the frog, and B B the innerrails converging to and terminating in the point or tongue I) of thefrog. The rails constituting the frog rest upon clampingbars C, of whichat least two are used in each structure. Said clamping-bars terminate inflanges c c c, that are turned upward to a degree more or less inclinedfrom a vertical line inward and preferably at unequal angles. Oneterminal flange at least of 'each clamp is perforated at a point aboutequidistaut from the angle of the base to the end of the flange, for thereception of abinding-bolt, a, as hereinafter more fully set forth.Planoconvex side supporting-blocks, D D D D,are interposed between thewebs d on the one side and the upturned flange c of the said clamp C andbetween the web d and the clamping key or keys E E on the other side ofthe frog. A clamping key orkeys, EE, of a general wedge shape,areinserted,the one above and the other below, (when two keys are used,)thebindingbolts 0 6 between the side supporting-blocks, D D, and theflanges c c", said keys having their angular edges inserted fromopposite sides of said clamping bars, the point of the one beingdirected toward the tongue thereof Serial No. 241,2 6. (No model.)

when driven home, as hereinafter more fully described, and for reasonshereinafter set forth. By said construction and insertion of the keysnot only may all parts of the opposite terminal flanges,0 0 c 0,lie inplanes parallel to eachother, but an equal pressure or binding powerbrought to bear upon all parts at the same time of the clamp-flanges,side sl'ipportingblocks, and the frictional surfaces of the keysthemselves, the same thickness of key, and hence wedging power, being incontact with thelateral edges of the clamp-flanges when being drivenhome.

In Fig. 5 is shown a construction wherein but a single plane wedge orkey is used, it being inserted below the clamping-bolt e and locked inposition by having its end bent over. While good results are attained bythe use of the invention as illus rated in this figure, I still preferthe construction employing two wedges driven in opposite directions.

In line with the perforations in the clampflanges c c the webs of thewing-rails A are also perforated for the reception of the hind ing-boltse 6; also, in line with and upon the vertical faces of thefilling-blocks gg, that are interposed between the outer and inner railsof the frog, at least upon one side, depressions or rabbeted seats h hare wrought, and into these seats the nuts 1. 2' rest when thebindingbolts 6 e are in place, and are prevented thereby from revolvingeither under vibration or E, having then been inserted into saidintervals from their acute ends, the one above and the other below thebinding-bolts e e at the opposite lateral edges of the clamps O, thesaid binding-bolts having been inserted through the circularperforations d d of the flanges c 0, and through the circular openingsffof the side blocks, D D D D, and thence through the contiguousperforations of the wing-rails A A, and terminating in the nuts 1' z,the said binding-keys E E" are driven home bysledge blows until theentire frog structure is made a compact and rigid whole. The angularends of said keys are then bent outward, being when in position uponopposite sides of the clamping-barO, and thus not only are made to bindequally upon all parts of the clamp-flanges c 0, but also by said bendare locked against any reverse movement, and thus prevent the 100s eningof the parts of the frog under the vibration of passing trains of cars.In considering, further, the function of the binding-bolts e c, it isevident that in being made to pass thi ough the flanges of clamping-barsand the webs of the wing rails, and held thereto by means of theterminal nuts t i, that said bolts not only prevent the slipping forwardor backward of the clamping-bars, wedges, side supportingblocks, andthroat or filling blocks, but that.

ing forward the keys that may subsequently become necessary to take upthe slack that arises from the friction of the constituent parts incontact.

The wedges or keys E E being plain and narrow, can be preparedfor useand easily shaped from standard small'sizes of bar-iron, and henceentail less expense than when required to be, forged or made in theslotted form,which I have shown and claimed in another application whichI filed June 21, 1887, Serial No. 242,027.

I have shown the wedges used upon but one side ofthe frog; but it mightbe found desirable under certain circumstances to duplicate thearrangement on the opposite side of the frog.

This invention, as will be understood, may be applied to rail-jointswith such slight modt fications or changes in construction as willreadily suggest themselves to those skilled'in the art.

I am aware that a bolt vertically placed in connection with a slottedkey and clamping device has been used, and also a bolt passinghorizontally through the flanges ofthe clamping'bars, through slottedkeys, the webs of contiguous wing-rails, and terminated at this point bya nut resting in a depression or .seat on the side of the adjacentblock-filling has also been used, and therefore I do not claim either ofthese combinations, broadly; but I do claim the use of a bolt passinghorizontally through the flanges of the clamping-bars, between twobinding-keys driven in two opposite directions and bent out of a rightline terminally to prevent the reverse movement of the same, through acircular perforation'in side supporting-blocks, through the webs of thecontiguous wing-rails, and terminating at this point in a nut resting ina depression or ing-blocks of a frog, of a clamping-plate hav- I ingupward-extending. flanges, side supporting-blocks interposed between theflanges and the webs of the rails, binding-bolts, and two wedges lyingabove and below the bindingbolts on one or both sides the frog, saidwedges being arranged to be driven in opposite directionsto tighten theparts after the bolts-have been tightened, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the rails,- of a clamping plate having upwardextending flanges, side supporting-blocks interposed between the flangesand the webs of the rails, binding bolts, and two keys or wedgesinserted between the flanges on one or both sides the rails. and thesupporting-blocks,said keys or wedges extending in opposite directionsand having their ends bent over to prevent their accidental removal,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the rails, of a clamping plate having upwardextending flanges, side supporting-blocks interposed between the flangesand the webs of thevrails, bindingbolts passing through the flanges,blocks, and rails, and keys or wedges inserted between the flanges andblocks, one above a binding-bolt and another below the same,said keysextendiugin opposite directions and having their ends bent over toprevent their accidental removal, substantially as described.

4. The combination,withtherailsandfillingblock of arailway-frog,ofaclampingplate'extending under the frog and havingupward-extending flanges on opposite sides of the frog,

and side supporting-blocks interposed between the flanges and the websof the rails, bindingbolts passing in opposite directions through saidflanges, blocks, and the rails, and keys or wedges inserted between theflange on one side of the frog and the block, said keys ex,- tending inopposite directions and having their ends bent over to prevent theiraccidental removal, snbstantially as described.

5. The combination of thelaterally-pierced flanges of the clamping plate0, the plane Wedges E E,driven in opposite directions,the laterallypierced plano-convex side supporting-blocks,DD, perforated but notslotted,the perforated wing-rails A A, and the laterallyrab'beted blockfillings or distance pieces f, with the inclosed nuts i, as and for thepurpos set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER H. EGE.

Witnesses:

D. E. KAST, GEO. F. LONGSDORE.

